Hebrews 4:1-13
Although God’s promise still stands—his promise that all may enter his place of rest—we ought to tremble with fear because some of you may be on the verge of failing to get there after all. For this wonderful news—the message that God wants to save us—has been given to us just as it was to those who lived in the time of Moses. But it didn’t do them any good because they didn’t believe it. They didn’t mix it with faith. For only we who believe God can enter into his place of rest. He has said, “I have sworn in my anger that those who don’t believe me will never get in,” even though he has been ready and waiting for them since the world began.
We know he is ready and waiting because it is written that God rested on the seventh day of creation, having finished all that he had planned to make. Even so they didn’t get in, for God finally said, “They shall never enter my rest.” Yet the promise remains and some get in—but not those who had the first chance, for they disobeyed God and failed to enter. But he has set another time for coming in, and that time is now. He announced this through King David long years after man’s first failure to enter, saying in the words already quoted, “Today when you hear him calling, do not harden your hearts against him.” This new place of rest he is talking about does not mean the land of Israel that Joshua led them into. If that were what God meant, he would not have spoken long afterwards about “today” being the time to get in. So there is a full complete rest still waiting for the people of God. Christ has already entered there. He is resting from his work, just as God did after the creation. Let us do our best to go into that place of rest, too, being careful not to disobey God as the children of Israel did, thus failing to get in.
For whatever God says to us is full of living power: it is sharper than the sharpest dagger, cutting swift and deep into our innermost thoughts and desires with all their parts, exposing us for what we really are. He knows about everyone, everywhere. Everything about us is bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden from him to whom we must explain all that we have done. Hebrews 4:1-13 (TLB)
Do you hear God calling you? Are you too busy with life to let your faith grab on to the Good News that God is willing to bring us to His rest, if we only believe? God’s word is a wonderful way to bare our soul to ourselves, to expose our innermost thoughts and feelings in a way that proves we need the gift of salvation that Jesus, our High Priest, has opened for us. God has promised rest for us by being with us on earth, as well as heavenly rest when our travels on earth are finished.
Knowing that God is offering salvation and rest is not enough. It was offered to many before us, and rejected, which led God to deny them His rest. We are in danger of doing the same thing, unless we believe, mix it with our faith in daily living, and fully obey God’s commands. Yet, being sinful beings, we need to heed God’s call every day, for His promise renews each day, as long as we do not harden our hearts and reject His promise of rest with Him. The author of Hebrews, widely thought to be Paul, warns us carefully to make sure we don’t fall short of entering God’s rest. He doesn’t sugarcoat it, and it can make you wonder if you are falling short. Just remember that your salvation is what God wants. Your faith and belief, not any good works, will determine whether you fall short or not. With this in mind, we can stand before God, cleansed by Jesus, and claim our rest in Him. What a wonderful thought, that God wants to create a rest for us, not only in heaven, but here on earth, and to be with us every day.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do you hear God’s call to rest in Him every day?
- Do you feel like you are in danger of falling short in front of God?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, we need to hear your call every day. Help us to listen, accept your promise of rest, and believe in your promises so we can be the people you want us to be. We thank you for Jesus, our High Priest, who has showed us the way to live.
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